


Midnight Confession

by Khylara



Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:20:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khylara/pseuds/Khylara
Summary: Horatio picks Tim up from the bar after he's flagged.
Relationships: Horatio Caine/Tim Speedle
Kudos: 19





	Midnight Confession

It was after midnight. Horatio had just gotten undressed and was climbing into bed when his phone rang. Cursing under his breath, he answered it. "This is Horatio Caine."

"Mr. Caine? My name is Lydia and I'm a bartender at "Conch" downtown?" The voice said hesitantly.

Horatio thought for a moment' "Conch" was one of the new bars that had just opened up on the strip, he remembered. he also remembered that it catered to mostly young gay men. "Yes?" he prompted.

:I found your card in the wallet of a Tim Speedle?" Lydia said loudly, struggling to be heard over the pulsing music. "He's been here since opening drinking tequila at a pretty good clip and he wants to leave. I told him the only way I'd let him was if he had a ride home and he gave me your name." She paused. "Would you be willing to come get him?"

Horatio reached for his pants. "I'll be right there."

*****

Horatio flashed his badge at the burly bouncer guarding the door. "I'm looking for Lydia?" he yelled over the din of the crowd.

"Back bar," he yelled back before returning to his job of checking ID's. Horatio nodded and began pushing his way through the gyrating bodies on the dance floor. 

The moment she saw him come through the crowd she heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks for coming," she said as she handed over his wallet. "He's sitting over there." She pointed to a slumped over figure sitting at the end of the bar.

"Has he made any trouble?" Horatio had to ask, even though he hated to.

She shook her head. "Came in, slapped a hundred onto the bar and told me to keep them coming," Lydia said as she handed another customer a beer. "He's been flagged for about an hour."

Horatio nodded as he reached for his own wallet. "What do I owe you?'

She shook her head again. "When I told him he was cut off, he said to keep the rest. It was a good chunk of that hundred. We were running a special on tequila tonight." She pushed her silver hair out of her eyes. "I'm just glad he's gonna get home safe.'

Horatio handed her a twenty anyway. "Thank you for calling me."

It disappeared into her bra. "No problem." She went back to mixing drinks as Horatio headed toward the end of the bar.

he sat down next to Speed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Speed."

Swaying a little, Speed turned to face him, blinking owlishly. "H!" he exclaimed, leaning in to give him a clumsy hug and nearly falling off the stool in the process. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you a ride home," Horatio said as he looped Speed's arm around his neck and got him to his feet. "Come on, now. One foot in front of the other."

"Don't wanna go home," Speed said stubbornly as they staggered out the door toward the Hummer. "Too empty...too quiet." he didn't resist as Horatio coaxed him into the front seat. "Don't wanna go home."

Horatio thought for a moment. "What if you came home with me?" he offered, putting a hand on the younger man's knee. "You can sleep it off in my guest room."

Speed looked at him. "You want me to come home with you?" he asked, sounding so forlorn that Horatio's heart broke. "Really?"

"Really," Horatio said, nodding.

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk," Horatio said softly. "And I don't think you should be alone."

That seemed to be a reasonable explanation to Speed. "Okay." He stopped struggling to undo the seat belt and closed his eyes as Horatio shut the door. By the time Caine had climbed into the front seat, he was fast asleep.

 _Let's hope he doesn't get sick,_ he mused as he started the engine and headed out of the crowded parking lot.

Once he had pulled into his own driveway, he got out and went to the other side of the Hummer. "Speed," he said, gently shaking him as he undid his seat belt. "Wake up, Speed. We're here."

He blinked his eyes open. "H?" He sounded confused. "Where am I?"

"You're at my house, Speed." he helped the younger man out of the truck. "Come on in. You can lie down."

"Okay." Speed let himself be led into the house and to the back bedroom. "Your house?"

"My house," Horatio confirmed as he sat Speed down on the bed and took off his boots. "Bathroom is through that door in the corner." He pointed it out. "And there's a trash can by the bed. Aim for that if you feel sick. Okay?" He put a hand on Speed's shoulder. "Sleep yourself out, okay?" He started to pull away.

Speed grabbed his arm. "You're not staying with me? I want you to."

Horatio sighed. "Speed...it wouldn't be right," he finally said. "You're too drunk to know what you're saying."

"Not that drunk," Speed insisted stubbornly. "You know...why I was there? At the bar?"

"I can guess," Horatio said with a small smile. "Speed...whatever it is...you don't have to tell me."

"Yes...yes, i do,' Speed insisted, his hand tightening on Horatio's arm. "Why I was there...I was looking for company. But...but I didn't find...what i wanted."

 _Any man would be lucky to have you,_ Horatio thought as he listened with a heavy heart. "Speed..."

"No. you need to...to hear this,' he continued on. "What I ant...who I want...is you."

Horatio stopped and stared. "Me?" he echoed, not daring to believe what he was hearing.

"You," Speed confirmed with a shaky nod. "I love you." He managed to give Horatio a sloppy kiss on the cheek before he falling back onto the bed and passing out.

Horatio spent the rest of the night sitting next to Speed's bed, listening to him snore and wondering just how his life had turned upside down and sideways in the course of one evening. _No,_ he thought ruefully. _It did that the moment i met him._

*****

A shaft of sunlight shining directly into his face woke Speed up the next morning. Groaning, he threw an arm over his eyes. "Fuck...who turned on all the lights?" he muttered, his stomach doing cartwheels.

The room immediately became dark. "Sorry," Horatio said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I forgot this room gets the morning sun. How are you feeling?"

"I'll let you know in a minute," Speed said, gritting his teeth as he willed his stomach back under control. "You wouldn't happen to have any Tylenol, would you?"

"Sit up." When Speed did, Horatio handed him two little white pills and a glass of water. "Take those and come into the kitchen. I'll make breakfast.'

Speed's stomach rolled. "I don't think I cam manage breakfast, H."

Horatio smiled. "Understandable. Coffee and toast, then. Come out when you're ready." He disappeared down the hall.

Cleaning himself up as best he could in the bathroom, Speed made his way to the kitchen. "You have a nice place," he said as he sat at the kitchen table, looking around.

"Thank you." Horatio put a mug of black coffee in front of him. "Drink that. Then I think we need to talk."

Speed drank half of the cup in one go. "About what?"

Horatio set a plate of toast along with the butter dish and a jar of strawberry jam onto the table. "You don't remember much of last night, do you?" he asked kindly as he sat down across from him.

"Not about the end, no," Speed confessed. "I remember asking the bartender to call you after she flagged me." He looked a little guilty. "I hope that was okay."

"Of course it was. I'm glad you did rather than try to get home by yourself," Horatio said as he buttered a piece of toast and took a bite. "Do you remember anything after we got here?"

Speed shook his head. "Why? What did I do?"

Horatio sipped his coffee. "Well...you told me you loved me," he said simply. "And then you kissed my cheek before you passed out."

Speed groaned as he felt his heart drop to someplace around his socks. "Fuck," he muttered. "H...i'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be," Horatio found himself saying. "Unless you didn't mean it?"

Speed simply looked at him. "No, I meant it," he said finally. "I meant every word. I just never thought I'd say it."

"Why?"

Speed stared. "Why? You're my boss, that's fucking why." he stood up. "Someone like you would never want someone like me."

"How do you know?" Horatio asked softly. "Did you ask me?" Reaching over, he pulled Speed close. "Maybe I've been wanting you for a long time."

"really?" Speed's voice went up half an octave. "You want me?"

"Very much." Horatio smiled. "What do you say to that?"

Speed didn't say anything. Instead, he sat down squarely on Horatio's lap, cupping the redhead's face in his hands as he gave him a tongue-tangling kiss that the older man felt all the way to his toes. Speed gave him a kiss that made him feel things he hadn't felt in a very long time. 

And Horatio let him.


End file.
